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Fernando Alonso delivered a blunt self-assessment after driving from 18th on the grid to ninth at the Dutch Grand Prix, crediting his own skill for making an unconventional one-stop strategy work. The two-time world champion abandoned Aston Martin's planned two-stop approach mid-race, extending his opening stint on soft tyres to 34 laps before switching to hards and holding position to the flag. Asked how he pulled it off, the 43-year-old offered no false modesty. "I am a very good driver," Alonso told media at Zandvoort. "That was not the plan. I think the plan was two stops and more conventional."
Aston Martin had endured a difficult start to the weekend. Alonso qualified last for the sprint race and finished 18th, then lined up 18th again for Sunday's main event. The turnaround came through strategic opportunism rather than outright pace, as the Spaniard stayed out longer than rivals to capitalise on clean air when it appeared.
Track position over optimal pace
Alonso's explanation revealed the core weakness of the AMR26. "We have to deviate a bit from what is normal," he said. "When we are in traffic, we cannot exploit our potential. We are faster in the corners than the people in front of us, but we are slower on the straights and stuck behind them. So as soon as we have free air in front of us, we try to exploit it, even if it is not the optimal performance and the optimal strategy. That is what we did today."
The admission underscores Aston Martin's ongoing struggle to balance aerodynamic efficiency with straight-line speed. While the team has made progress with chassis updates introduced at Budapest and refined at Zandvoort, the car remains fundamentally compromised in wheel-to-wheel racing. Alonso's ninth-place finish marked only his second points haul of the season, a stark reflection of how far the team has fallen from its early-2024 form when it briefly challenged Red Bull.
Chassis gains, power unit headaches
Aston Martin brought four or five new components to Zandvoort, building on the revised chassis package introduced in Hungary. Alonso acknowledged the improvements are beginning to show. "Especially on the chassis side," he said. "The Budapest package was understood during the break, and with all the data available after the race, we refined the setup around that new specification, plus the new parts. I think we are now optimising the chassis side and able to get the maximum out of it."
The picture is less encouraging on the power unit front. Aston Martin switched to Honda power for 2026, and teething problems remain evident. Alonso reported struggles with engine braking and downshifts throughout the Zandvoort weekend, issues that will likely be magnified at high-speed circuits. "On the engine side it is more difficult," he said. "I don't think we can say black and white whether we have more power or not. We are struggling again with downshifting and we are struggling with engine braking from corner to corner. So in that respect it was a challenging weekend."
Monza reality check ahead
Alonso's candid self-praise at Zandvoort may have been earned, but he remains realistic about what lies ahead. Monza, the next race on the calendar, demands sustained straight-line speed and efficient power deployment, precisely the areas where Aston Martin is weakest. The temple of speed will offer little room for strategic creativity or corner-speed advantage. For a driver willing to call himself "very good" in public, the coming weekend will test whether skill alone can mask fundamental performance deficits. Aston Martin's development trajectory suggests progress, but the gaps that matter most remain stubbornly wide.
Dutch Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
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